Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 16: You're My Inspiration ~ * ~ Mooncake recipe from Kate ~*~

This month, Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 16: You're My Inspiration , host wants all of us to use recipe from the member to find the inspiration , and I'm very lucky that the person whom I have to choose the recipe is Kate.

Last year, Kate came to stay with me for a week, and she's kind enough to teach me how to make Mooncake. So, this time, I want to show her that I can do it on my own, haha, and I think it's not bad at all ^ ^. I know that the festival is past, but it's not a crime to enjoy this delicious cake at any times of the year.
Even it's not a traditional filling but in Thailand we use the durian paste for the filling, it's delicious and very easy too. But if you can't find it or don't like the smell of it, you can use the custard filling instead (my mother doesn't like the durian, so I have to bake this for her).

The most important thing that you must have, if you want to make the moon cake, is the mold. There are many kinds of it, but this time I just got the traditional one that made from crafted wood. This kind of mold needed to be prepared by cover the drain hole (it's at the side of the mold) with the adhesive tape, and pour the vegetable oil into it, and let the wood absorbs the oil. The oil will prevent the dough to stick to the mold without using too much flour, so an imprint will be deep and beautiful.

It's fun to make but I have to admit that my arm felt tried after making it, haha.

- the mooncake from the mold -

It's not hard to make the mooncake at home, esp. when you use the prepared filling, but it's time consuming process can be a little problem. So, plan ahead, because you have to prepare the syrup, and wait until it's cool, then make the flour mixture that you'll have to let it rest overnight. And if you use the custard filling, you'll have to make it, let it's cool and refrigerate overnight too.
Then, the next day, everything will be easier, just mix the flour, divide the flour and filling into a ball. After that your arm will take all the responsibility, ^ ^.

When baking the mooncake, first round is for cooking it, but after that, you have to bake it until the color of the mooncake is golden brown. It may take longer, or shorter than the given time, so you have to stand by in front of the oven >*<. So, welcome you to see the result of my inspiration from my friend "Kate" ^ ^, the mooncake.

Mooncake
Makes about 40-50 pieces
(small size depend on the size of the mold)

Dough
	Syrup
	250g	Sugar
	2tsp	Lime juice
	175g	Water
	Baking soda mixture
	2tsp	Baking soda
	2tbsp	Water
	Flour (1)
	200g	Pastry flour (or mixture of half all-purpose flour and cake flour)
	100g	Vegetable oil
	215g	Syrup
	½ tbsp	Baking soda mixture
	Flour (2)
	150g	Pastry flour (or mixture of half all-purpose flour and cake flour)
Durian Filling (for 40-50 pieces)
	1400-1750g	Durian paste
	120-150g	Watermelon seed
	160-200g	Salted egg yolks
Custard Filling (for 40-50 pieces)
	400g	Sugar
	400g	Butter
	100g	All-purpose flour
	50g	Corn flour
	100g	Milk powder
	100g	Custard powder
	10	Eggs
	2tbsp	Vanilla extract
Egg wash
	2	Egg yolks
	2tbsp	water

Make the syrup by put all the ingredients together in a pan, put over medium low heat until the thermometer register 118°C.
Pour the syrup into the cup and let it cool to the room temperature.

When the syrup's cool, mix the baking soda with the water, set aside.
Put the flour in the mixing bowl.
Pour the syrup , vegetable oil and ½ tbsp of the baking soda mixture into the flour.
Mix until combine, then cover the bowl with plastic and let the batter rest overnight.

If you want to use custard filling, you have to prepare.
Put all the ingredient into the pan and put over low heat, whisk constantly until it's thicken.

Let the custard cool, then cover with the plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Next day
Pour the flour(2) into the batter, and knead until combine.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (or preheat it 20 minutes before you baking the mooncake).

Put some of the dough into the mold, and take the dough out.
Weight the dough and divide the weight with 4, you will get the weight of the dough per piece.

Divide the dough, and roll the dough into the ball.

Weight the filling using the 3/4 of the total weight.
I use 35g of durian paste and 3g of watermelon seed.
Roll the filling into a ball.

Put the salted egg yolk into the center of the filling cover it, then cover with the dough.

If using the custard filling, roll the dough into a circle and place the filling inside.
Cover the filling with the dough.


Lightly flour the dough, press the prepared ball into the mold, and tap the mold by tapping 2 side then then top (as shown in the picture), the dough will come out beautifully.

Place the dough into the baking pan.
Bake for 10 minutes, take the pan out and brush the side of the mooncake bake for 5 minutes, take the pan out and brush the top of the mooncake for 5 minutes or until the mooncake are well brown.

Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 16:
You're My Inspiration ~ * ~ Mooncake recipe from Kate ~*~

Passion Fruit Meringue Tart: one of the wicked desserts!

There is something that I always come back to it, again and again, this flavor is one of it. I love the passion fruit, the tanginess of it, the fragrance of it, I just can't get enough of it.

But every time I use it in my dessert, I like to combine it with the some thing sweet. So, it comes out the way I like, haha, the passion fruit curd with the meringue. But this time it's in a tart form.

Actually this recipe is an adaptation from the book
This book is very cute, the recipe in the book is quite interesting, or really tempted, haha. Well, we talk about the book later.

For the best result, when making the filling, calculate the time, because when you pour the hot filling over the hot pastry, you will prevent the problem of the soaking bottom. And the meringue is the same, whisk it while the tart is in the oven, so the meringue will less weeping if you put it over the hot filling.
Mine is a bit light in color, I thought that I could use the cook’s blowtorch over the surface but the result is not good. So, if you want it to be well brown, let it in the oven longer.

Passion fruit Meringue tart
Makes 4

Sweet short crust pastry
200 g	Plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
85 g	Icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
100 g	chilled unsalted butter, chopped
1	egg yolk
Passion fruit curd
50g	butter, chopped
3	eggs, lightly beaten
125ml	Passion fruit juice
60g	caster (superfine) sugar
Meringue
2	egg whites, at room temperature
55	caster (superfine) sugar
½ tbsp	corn flour (cornstarch), sifted

For the pastry, put the flour icing sugar, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Combine the egg yolk with 1 tablespoons chilled water in a small bowl. Add to the flour mixture and pulse until a dough forms. If the dough is not coming together, add a little more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.

If making by hand, put the flour, a pinch of salt and sugar in a bowl, cut the butter into pieces and work it into the flour with your fingertips.

Make a well in the middle of the flour- and-butter mixture and add the egg yolk with 1 tablespoons chilled water. Stir to incorporate the flour evenly until you have to begin using your hand.

Bring the dry and wet ingredients together. Dust work surface with flour, remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on the floured surface for a few minutes until it is smooth and homogeneous.

Turn out onto a work surface. Using your hands, press the dough into a flat, round disc, Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lightly grease 4 loose-based tartlet tins, 10 cm in diameter and 3 cm deep.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Cut into rounds to fit the base and sides of the tins. Gently press into the sides to fit, trim the edges, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Line each pastry shell with baking paper and fill with baking beads or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Reduce the oven to 180°C.

For the passion fruit curd, combine the butter, eggs, passion fruit juice, and sugar in a saucepan over very low heat whisk constantly for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Spoon the curd into the tart shells, smoothing the top.

For the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. Continue whisking until the mixture is stiff and glossy and the sugar has dissolved. Add the corn flour and mix well. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 2 cm (3/4 inch) plain nozzle.

Pipe the meringue over the curd. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the meringue is golden.

Passion Fruit Meringue Tart: one of the wicked desserts!

Turkish coffee creams: Little cup of my love

I got this coffee a long time ago (my sister traveled to Turkey, and she bought this coffee as a souvenir), and I really don't know what to do with it. The Turkish coffee is different from other kind of coffee in a method of preparation and the Turkish coffee are ground or pounded to the finest powder. When prepare it, you will have to boil it with the water then serve without filter the grounded coffee bean out, and that is the main problem for me.

I find it very hard to drink the coffee that contain the coffee bean in it (or because I don't know how to prepare it properly, my coffee had a burnt taste), so I need to find a better way to enjoy it.
And the Olive magazine from last month is my answer for me, actually the recipe comes from the book name:................... There are a lot of interesting recipe in the magazine, but I can see only one recipe, that I want to try.
The Turkish Coffee Cream, this little cup is so tempting, the ingredients are interesting too. The coffee mix with the cardamon (actually, there is a cinnamon in the ingredient list too, but because my sister doesn't like it, so I just leave it out) and the chocolate. So, the fragrance of it is very good, and the texture is like a thick chocolate mousse.

This kind of dessert is very good to serve after dinner, esp. when you prepare a dinner for someone special (^ ^), the feeling of lingering the thick delicious mousse while talking with the one you love, well, I like this kind of feeling.
Actually, if you can't find the Turkish coffee, you can use the other kind of grounded coffee, as I said that it's not the kind of the coffee, it's the way that you prepare it.
So, come along with me and have a happy time with the small cup of love!

Turkish Coffee and Cardamom

Turkish coffee creams

Makes 2 little glasses (shot-size)

24g	finely ground Turkish coffee
1	cardamom pods, crushed
100ml	double cream
20g	dark chocolate, grated
2	egg yolks
22g	caster sugar

• Moisten the coffee with a little water and put onto muslin square with the cardamom pods, then tie securely with kitchen string to make a bag.

Put the cream into a heavy saucepan with the muslin bag and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to cool and infuse for about an hour.

• Squeeze the muslin bag back into the pan to extract as much flavour as possible, then discard it. Reheat the infused cream gently, then add the grated chocolate and stir until it has melted.

• In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Pour on the hot cream mixture and whisk gently to combine.

Pour the mixture back into the rinsed-out pan and cook gently until it thickens to a custard consistency. You should be able to draw a distinct line through the custard on the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and cool in a sink of iced water. Stir from time to time as the mixture cools down.

• Spoon the coffee cream into 2 petite pots or little glasses (shot-size) and chill well before serving.

Turkish coffee creams: Little cup of my love